Chennai: Following the footsteps of his basketball champion father, sports enthusiast and coach Kathiresan, is back to organise a free coaching camp for boys and girls (aged six to 19) at Corporation Grounds, Venkatanaranaya Road, from 1 to 15 May.
According to a press release, this is the 27th annual event to be organised in T Nagar, under the banner- Madras Youth Basketball Club, founded by Kamatchi Sundaram, the former National-level player.
Sharing the news with News Today, Kathiresan said, “My father devoted his career and spent most of his time training youngsters in the game. He wanted to spread the sport to as many children as possible, irrespective of their financial backgrounds. All these years, several of them were trained free of cost and those who excelled, were given opportunities to play in tournaments representing our club.”
About why T Nagar was selected for the coaching classes, he stated, “The basketball court at Venkatanarayana Road is one of the oldest and well-maintained ones in the city. Both my father and I learnt to play the game here.”
“Also, there are plenty of schools situated nearby and many children who reside here will find it convenient to attend the camp. Successive tournaments will be held at the venue, which will offer opportunities for youngsters to hone their skills,” he added.
On whether 15 days would be sufficient to learn the game, he said, “At first, we provide physical training to the participating boys and girls and then start training. Most of them show interest and attention during the practice sessions and continue to play in our club after the camp too.”
Apart from T Nagar, Kathiresan is also organising a free basketball camp at Corporation Grounds, Nungambakkam, this season.
Madras Youth Basketball Club can be reached at 97899 15740.